Contrary to corporate news narratives, America has a history rich in riots, uprisings, strikes, occupations, rebellions, and resistance. Note that virtually all the targets of property destruction in Baltimore were police cars, or soul-deadening chain stores that pay their workers poverty wages across the nation. These targets mirrored similar ones last summer in Ferguson.

Watching the local corporate news feeds and listening to the paid talking heads covering the protests in Baltimore on Saturday, one might be forgiven for thinking blocking traffic and smashing windows was somehow a greater act of violence than Baltimore police murdering Freddie Gray.

This summer America got a much-needed wake up call about why people burn down buildings and smash in franchise chain storefronts. Still though, police continue to murder young black men, and still for-profit media report their pro-government, pro-cop propaganda.

Local CBS WJZ anchor Denise Koch reached a point of near hysteria with her concern for the fans of a baseball game who might be stuck in traffic due to the occupied streets. “It’s important the people of Baltimore remain civilized,” Koch proclaimed over and over.

Last night saw an amazing local achievement within the justice movement for Ferguson and the supporters of Mike Brown, as well as opponents of police violence and institutionalized racism at large.

Portlanders, like most the world, have watched events unfolding in Ferguson closely. After a grand jury refused to indict Brown’s killer, riots broke out across the nation.

Portland is far too passive for lighting cop cars on fire. Monday night, though, our city did indeed march without the consent of the Portland Police Bureau, albeit briefly and with only about 200 protesters.

A large rally and sanctioned march was ordained by many elder clergy-members and organizations the police maintain a working relationship with. Some 3,500 people showed up, pensive, but calm. Speakers spoke, most of them over 50. Then we marched, briskly, but predictably, around downtown for something like twenty-five minutes. While several of the organizing groups were rooted in radicalism, this event was ruled by the clergy.

Growing up I’d always thought of being Liberal as a virtue. During the last Bush administration, it was liberals who were anti-war, who marched for peace, who demanded action on global warming, who were the backbone of the struggling labor movement.

What concern liberals still have for climate change usually gets channeled into signing online petitions from MoveOn or 350. Rarely do they display solidarity with the people taking direction action against KXL or other devastating extraction operations. Liberals tell us to remain nonviolent during protests, regardless of the violence committed by police, and regardless of the institutional violence committed every day against marginalized communities. The liberal of today is concerned with better bicycle lanes, but not rising rents that soon follow. And why should they? Life’s pretty good with Democrats running the show, as long as you’re a Democrat.